Horn Study at ASU

Tell me about horn study at Arizona State University.
What about your teaching?
Do you favor any one "school" of horn playing?
Any special classes that horn students take?
What does it cost to go to ASU? 
What about scholarships?
How many students will you accept next year?
How are ensembles seated?
Marching band and the music education student
Do you view music education or music therapy majors differently than performance majors?
Who will I study with at ASU?
What about my audition?
What is an Associate Professor? Do you play in the Phoenix Symphony?
Does Thomas Bacon teach horn at ASU?
How hot is it?
Any horn playing opportunities in Phoenix?
I have more questions! Help!

NOTE: See also my post "Thoughts on choosing a school for advanced horn study" in the Horn Notes Blog.

Tell me about horn study at Arizona State University.
Arizona State University is home to one of the top ranked music programs in the country (ranked 19th in the country and eighth among public institutions by U.S. News & World Report), excellent student ensembles, great facilities, and a world-class program of study that is one of the best educational bargains around. Home to over 800 music majors and 100 faculty, a wide variety of degrees are offered including Bachelors degrees in performance, music education, and music therapy, the MM in performance, and the Doctor of Musical Arts. To learn more about the School of Music, visit http://music.asu.edu .

I joined the the faculty at ASU in the fall of 2001, after performing full time in The Nashville Symphony and having taught at the college level full time as well. Our performance faculty is excellent; besides myself, the full time brass faculty includes Professors David Hickman, trumpet, Gail Wilson, trombone, and Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan, tuba/euphonium, true heavyweights of brass performance and teaching.

This is a full time teaching position which allows me to be involved and active with the horn studio on a daily basis. I also perform regularly in the Phoenix area with groups including the ASU Faculty Woodwind Quintet and as an extra player with the Phoenix Symphony.

What about your teaching?
The broadest statement that I can offer on my teaching and teaching philosophy would be this; I believe that there is a unique thing that every student I ever work with will do in this world and it is my hope that my teaching will help horn students reach their goals and make their own unique contribution. I consider it a privilege to work with every student and to be a part of their development as horn players.

That said, in general I certainly aim to be a practical, focused, goal oriented horn teacher that stays on topic and focuses on the horn well with every student. I want my students to have a well-rounded experience during their studies, to reach as high a performance level as possible on the horn, and to graduate with their love of music intact. 

In the first lesson every semester I always reserve some time to talk through short and long term performance goals which are also re-evaluated during the semester. In relation to those goals I aim to balance what we study between etudes, solo literature, and excerpts. I don't follow a one-size-fits-all plan of study. I do expect fluency in scales and transpositions and work on orchestral excerpts with all students. On a weekly basis I aim to make clear assignments and to keep moving forward through the semester.

I am very interested that prospective students have a clear feel for me as a teacher and player and I am always willing to meet with prospective students for a lesson at no charge as you make decisions about college. 

Do you favor any one "school" of horn playing?
No. When you come down to it the old saying is true--there are only two kinds of horns, good horns and bad horns. Good horns come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. The horn world is fragmented in the USA around types of equipment; in the horn studio at ASU I only desire to see students use good horns that produce a professional quality sound of the type of tone they prefer.

Any special classes that horn students take?
Yes. MUP 481/581, Horn Pedagogy, is a one semester course focusing on issues relating to teaching and equipment and MUP 451/551, Horn Repertoire, focuses on the solo literature, history, the orchestral literature, and auditions. These classes are required for performance majors and are a unique portion of the horn studio experience at ASU.

What does it cost to go to ASU? 
Tuition is very reasonable at ASU, in state or out of state. For example, for the 2008-09 academic year undergraduate tuition per semester is $2,705 for Arizona residents and $8,849 for nonresidents; graduate is $3,395 and $9,677. For tuition for the semester and year for any program at ASU please visit http://www.asu.edu/sbs/tuition_semester_selection.html Compared to the in and out-of-state tuition rates encountered at peer institutions study at ASU is a bargain.

What about scholarships?
A number of horn scholarships are open every year at ASU. The largest number of scholarships are linked to performing in a wind group at ASU. There are also two graduate teaching assistant positions in the horn studio, and there is a very limited pool of straight scholarship funds available as well. No matter what kind of scholarship offer is made, it is given in equal amounts each year, not on a declining scale as is seen at some schools.

How many students will you accept next year?
As this is a large program I can accept a fairly large class of incoming students most years, balanced evenly between undergraduate and graduate applicants.

How are ensembles seated?
Placement auditions are held every fall for ensembles. The audition materials are set up in a manner very similar to a "real" orchestral audition, and the auditions are held before myself, Dr. Gary Hill (Director of Bands), and Dr. Timothy Russell (Director of Orchestras). The materials are given out to be learned over the summer, and I always plan to meet with all students one or more times before the auditions so that you are well equipped to play your best.

Marching band and the music education student
While horn performance majors are, of course, not required to play in the marching band, music education majors must perform in the group for two years as a degree requirement.

Do you view music education or music therapy majors differently than performance majors?
No. I simply want to help every student work toward their personal highest level, to reach as far beyond the minimum that they can, no matter what degree program.

Who will I study with at ASU?
As a horn student at ASU you will study with me. Several of the undergraduate students in horn in the music education or BA programs will have lessons split between me and a horn TA in some manner, while the rest of the studio has weekly hour lessons with me which may be supplemented by extra sessions with myself or a horn TA.

What about my audition?
The entrance audition at ASU will give you an opportunity to show good pitch sense, steady rhythm, musical sensitivity, and style. There are many solo works which would be suitable to perform at your audition; I always suggest performing whatever you feel shows off your abilities at their best, because, in the end, it is not so much what you play but rather how you play it. That said, really, it's overall potential that we are primarily listening for. The audition requirements are available online.

What is an Associate Professor? Do you play in the Phoenix Symphony?
These questions come up often enough that they both deserve a brief answer.

Those unfamiliar with university hiring policies in the USA might guess that an Associate Professor is some sort of associate to a Professor, but this is not the case! Associate Professor is an academic rank granted to many tenured, full time faculty members at universities, and this is my current academic rank at ASU. The majority of full time, tenure track university hires in the USA are at the Assistant Professor rank. With time (and tenure) an Assistant Professor will become an Associate Professor and then a Professor. After my Doctoral studies I performed full time in Nashville for six years (with one year off, when I taught full time in Taiwan), shifted my focus and taught full time at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam) as an Assistant Professor for three years, was an Assistant Professor at ASU for six years, and now serve as an Associate Professor at ASU. The bottom line is I am the full time, tenured horn professor at ASU and I hope to be here for many years.

[Part of what confuses the issue is many part time horn faculty at schools will call themselves "Professor of horn" in their bio when in fact their actual academic rank is something more like instructor, lecturer, or adjunct professor].

I also get asked fairly often if I play in the Phoenix Symphony. I do play extra with them on large works from time to time, which I enjoy doing, but as I am full time faculty at ASU I am not a member of the Phoenix Symphony.

Does Thomas Bacon teach horn at ASU?
He did in the past, but no, not now, he left the faculty in 2000. It seems like even after all these years quite a few people think he is still here, but he has moved to the Houston area.

How hot is it?
Most of the year (nine months plus) it is GREAT in Tempe and it really is not that bad even in the summer (it really is a dry heat). Check out the Tempe weather at www.weather.com

Any horn playing opportunities in Phoenix?
With Phoenix just passing Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in the USA and a population of over 3 million in the greater Phoenix area (which Tempe is a part of) there are quite a few performing (and teaching) opportunities. Current and former students perform regularly in area groups including The Phoenix Symphony, The Mesa Symphony, Arizona Opera, Musica Nova, and others. Check out the website of our local major orchestra The Phoenix Symphony.

I have more questions! Help!
E-mail is one of the very best ways to reach me. I am excited about the horn program at ASU and strongly encourage you to visit the campus. If you have any questions concerning your audition or horn playing don't hesitate to contact me directly at